I've been thinking about this for a few days. Minibrute production finally seemed to be in full swing at the very end of last year, but now they have some very serious competition coming up. I feel like everyone's focusing on the MS20 now, and people got kind of tired of waiting for the Minibrute. Thoughts?

I think Korg missed their chance when they stopped making the MS-20 in 1983. Just think of the THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS they could have been making selling those between then and now. But no, people had to buy DX-7s and MiniBrutes to tide them over.

I think <insert manufacturer> missed their chance when they stopped making the <insert vintage synth> in 198x. Just think of the THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS they could have been making selling those between then and now. But no, people had to buy DX-7s and MiniBrutes to tide them over.

GuyaGuy wrote:I think Korg missed their chance when they stopped making the MS-20 in 1983. Just think of the THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS they could have been making selling those between then and now. But no, people had to buy DX-7s and MiniBrutes to tide them over.

I do agree with this. While one would argue that they were successful in aiming their products towards a more beginner type audience / tweakers (Kaossilators - MicroKorg), I think in the long run they should have stuck with full on workhorse synths like the MS-20. I'm at least glad to see them returning to the market with synths like the King Korg.

As for the OP's claim, I also agree that the MiniBrute wasn't exactly advertised as well as it could have been, and quite honestly the vibe I got was that it was a pretty rushed synth. I could be totally wrong as I've heard many good things about it - I'm just saying what I felt based purely from their advertising.

Competition in this small arena is good for people like me, because it means I can begin to afford quality instruments that have the sounds I really love. It's also good for the industry, because it will encourage innovation. Arturia didn't miss their chance--they made a bold friggin move with a very well designed instrument that made more waves (so to speak) than they anticipated. I still applaud them for the move, and I think the synth world is better off for now having two very high quality, low cost analog monosynths to choose from. These are a fraction of the price they would have been thirty five years ago. It's a great time to be into analog synths.

Walter Ego

seamonkey wrote:I nominate this for STUPIDEST THREAD ever in the history of the internez.

on the flip side, Korg still has a chance to completely "miss the opportunity on the MS-20 Mini." it's not out yet and it's not too late to mess up on supply and production. they can still drop the ball. all it takes is a big mistake or a marketing push by another company and even the MS-20 can be completely overshadowed.

any number of companies have the ability to push even the MS-20 completely off the road in the next few months. Moog, Elektron, Nord, Roland, heck even Buchla (although it is highly unlikely).

depending on the quality of the MS-20 and how it is received by the public (as soon as they get their hands on it), it may not be a sure thing. you never know.

some other ideas that could throw off Korg:

1. Arturia to follow up with a suite of accessories to build around a complete "Minibrute system" (and ramp up production and re-marketing of the Minibrute as "better" than the MS-20), thereby stealing potential MS-20 buyers.

bouzoukijoe1 wrote:1. Arturia to follow up with a suite of accessories to build around a complete "Minibrute system" (and ramp up production and re-marketing of the Minibrute as "better" than the MS-20), thereby stealing potential MS-20 buyers.

Thread is odd, and misguided...but I do like where you're going with this. It'd be sort of a Roland System 100 style. That would be sick.

I figure it this way. With the $1000 you could have spent last year on an MS-10 you can now (with discounts) buy a MiniBrute and an MS-20 Mini and have two completely different flavors of analog. To think there can only be one $500 analog at a time is missing the point.